Come November has arrived

Welcome to November. We're getting closer to having survived 2020. Two months to go, t-shirts and trinkets are already available. But enough of this silliness.

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Other informative web sites include:

• Native News Online
• US Census Bureau
• US Courts 
• White House Proclamation

American Indian Cultural Corridor, Minneapolis

Photo by J. Harrington

Locally, we would suggest a visit to Birchbark Books, but they're online and phone orders only due to COVID-19. You might take a look at Minneapolis' American Indian Cultural Corridor on Franklin Avenue. The Minnesota Humanities Center hosts the bdote memory map while the Historical Society has information on both the Dakota and the Ojibwe peoples. There's also an Ojibwe People's Dictionary. 

This year Joy Harjo, our current Poet Laureate, has finished editing and Norton has published "When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through -- an anthology of poetry from more than 160 poets, representing close to 100 indigenous nations." We're almost halfway through our copy and have enjoyed every page so far. 

On our own home front, we did remember to put out two saucers of milk last night for any Cat Sith that came by. One saucer was empty this morning. The other only half gone. We hope that means no Cat Sith curse on our home and family this year. Last night was also the continuance of no trick or treaters in the quarter century or so that we've lived here. Looks like once again someone will have to volunteer to do something about the undistributed candy.

Remember

Joy Harjo - 1951-

Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother's, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.

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Please be kind to each other while you can.